Wednesday, 21 July 2010

Good news from Rostock

The German town of Rostock has managed to more than double bicycle use over the past ten years. According to local authorities by means of an active bicycle policy, emphasising taking along a bicycle in public transport.

The formerly East German town - with well over 200,000 inhabitants - infers the growth of bicycle use from a survey by Dresden University among 638 households, a mobility study carried out every five years.

The data prove that the percentage of cycling rose from 8.7 per cent to 20.2 per cent from 1998 to 2008. The percentage of public transport in combination with cycling and walking increased from 58.5 per cent to 64.6 per cent. Use of cars for commuting purposes fell by 5 per cent to 35.4 per cent.

Local authorities see the cause of this – besides the increase in fuel prices – in the vastly improved bicycle facilities. In addition to measures like lowering curbs (in Germany cycling on the pavement is quite common), more bicycle parking facilities, allowing contraflow cycling in one-way streets and improved signposting, the use was also strongly affected by allowing bicycles to be taken along in public transport and Bike and Ride measures. The image of cycling has been positively targeted as well. Campaigns have been conducted to tempt recreational cyclists as well as promote commuter cycling.

1 comment:

Michael S
said...

I left Rostok in 1998 (possible to ride) to go to Stralsund (a nightmare to ride) and 2001 to Berlin (quite ok to ride). Only last year I learned that a lot must have changed in Rostock since I left the city (the biggest in the mostly rural federal state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). Rostock is a university city but it has a lot of big former GDR-tye residential areas outside the center, connected by local S-trains. So bike+train is very important I guess, but it is even a matter of political will. Congratulations, Rostock.

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